Saturday, September 22, 2012

Gossip as Idol

Did you know that I once lived in Chicago or that I got a
“new and very important job” or that my 21-year-old son bought a house? No?
Well, neither did I! Because these statements, though completely untrue, were
presented to me as fact by people who had heard it through the grapevine.

And try to refute such things! I’m the “horses mouth” and when I say, “No, I have
never lived in Chicago,” those supposedly “in the know” respond as if I’m lying!
Their neighbors, family members and Facebook seem to hold more credibility
than me, who really should know whether or not I ever lived in Chicago, had an
“important” job or could now visit my son (who will first need to pay off his student loan and secure employment, go figure) in
his new house!

So how do these rumors start, and why such credibility
attached to them? It’s like when the Bible talks about wolves in sheep’s
clothing coming into the church to bring a slightly—or not so
slightly—different truth than the apostles taught. These people seem knowledgeable,
often pose as being “concerned,” and speak so convincingly! And they do it out
of a desire to take any scrap or portion of their own “understanding” and run
with it to feed their self-esteem and need to be noticed.

I know about gossip. Before being saved out of the mire of
darkness, I licked my lips for gossip right along with the next person. There
was an importance and status that came with being “in the know” and drama and
attention that came with that. Not only was it great to be the bearer of any
kind of tidbit, it was then an opportunity to sit around and ignorantly and at
length discuss that tidbit. The funny thing is, I thought I was a good person
and that my mindless bloviating made the world a better place. In reality,
though, what was happening was that I was craving significance and
superiority.

Even if I felt a twinge of guilt about my conversations, I
couldn’t stop. Like a package of Oreo cookies where the good and healthy person
is convinced they can eat just one, only to find 30 minutes later that they’ve
consumed the entire first row, gossip is nearly impossible to resist once we’ve
gotten a taste.

“The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down
to a man’s inmost parts” (Proverbs 18:8).

The key is to not desire the Oreos in
the first place; likewise with gossip.

And that’s where Jesus comes in. Twelve years ago He began a
long and arduous work on my heart, which continues to this day. Of all the sins
He has had victory over in my life, including drinking, frustration, needing to
control, woman’s liberation worldview and New Ageism, just to name a few, the fleshly
worldly sin of the tongue has been the most difficult. James affirms this when
he writes:

“Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are
driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the
pilot wants to go”(James 3:4).

To bask in the
victory over other sins but not allow the Holy Spirit to tame our tongue is to
taint, pretty much, every aspect of our walk with Jesus Christ. Like a ship
needs a pilot to control the rudder, we need the Holy Spirit to steer our
tongue.

How do we begin this transformation to being led by the Spirit? Well, one way
is to no longer spend time with people who gossip. Just like I needed to stay
away from alcohol and places with alcohol before I actually desired to stay
away from alcohol, we can stay away from places of gossip-temptation while God creates
in us a desire to not gossip (and He does that when we ask him for a desire to
not gossip and then go to the Word and prayer). Only then can we begin to
stand firm in Him instead of in the world.

I am beginning to let God test me with people who inevitably will say something
negative and mean-spirited about someone, or will share someone else’s news
instead of letting that person share their own news. I have verses in my head
to guide me and keep me from slipping, and pre-planned statements so that I do
not engage in the babbling. These situations always make my heart race,
probably because it truly is a form of spiritual warfare. If Satan can make us
slip with our tongue, it proves that our hearts are not with God and it blocks
others’ glimpse of God in us.

I must also let God test me in my own thought life, to see
if I can refrain from being the originator of gossip and general editorializing.
It’s a discipline I cannot accomplish without a constant engaging of the Holy
Spirit, along with daily prayer and Bible.

And the Bible verses on speech are endless! The two that convict and encourage
me the most are:

“Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of
unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen
the King, the Lord Almighty.” Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live
coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he
touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is
taken away and your sin atoned for.” Isaiah 6:5-7

And:

“With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we
curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come
praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be.” James 3:9-10

God hears everything even before we speak it. Sobering. We
must begin with our hearts. James 1:5 says:

“If any of you lacks wisdom, he
should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will
be given to him.”

Wisdom is a heart issue and will replace idle talk; wipe it off
the map! As born again believers, God’s wisdom is where we must desire to live.
And when we do, by His grace he’ll get us there.

“Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring
of life. Put away perversity from your mouth; keep corrupt talk far from your
lips.” Proverbs 4:23-24

“But the things that come out of the mouth come from the
heart, and these make a man ‘unclean.’ For out of the heart come evil thoughts,
murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.” Matthew
15:18-19

“We hear that some among you are idle. They are not busy;
they are busybodies.” 2 Thessalonians 3:11

“The good man brings good things out of the good stored up
in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in
his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.” Luke 6:45